On to Saint Maarten

Sint Maarten (Dutch) or Saint Martin (French) was named for St. Martin of Tours on whose feast day, November 11, 1493, Columbus first saw these white sand shores. According to Wikipedia.

The sun was setting as we headed off from Antigua on our journey to SM. Very soon we were motor sailing past Nevis and St. Kitts on our port and Barbuda off to the starboard under starry skies. The winds had been light and flukey and I didn't want sail problems at night so we sailed with the main and the staysail for the first couple of hours.  Mike was at the helm and mentioned that he had seen 8, 9 and even 10 knots and so we stopped the engine and sped along at a respectable 6 to 7 knots.

We had a nice evening chatting until Warren started his 3-hour watch at 21:00.  Mike and George went below for a nap and I rested in the cockpit. Mike came on at 00:00 and then George from 03:00 to 06:00.

Glen demonstrating how not to wear a safety harness

Warren on watch

On each watch they reported seeing cruise ships and other traffic. Cruise ships are a sight to behold - lit up like the Madame Laroue pinball machine. The overnighter was mostly uneventful. On George's watch a giant wave flooded the cockpit. At night you have no idea what caused the problem but in the morning we found that we had company in the form of a little fish. George thinks he might have been wearing the fish as a sandal during his watch.

Cruise Ship

Approaching SM in the morning

In the morning while waiting outside the Dutch Bridge for an opening we installed the new motor on the dinghy for our eventual trip to town for clearance. NICE MOTOR!!!

Brilliant!

Dutch Bridge at Simpson Bay

Causeway Bridge and thumb

After anchoring on the French side we went ashore to clear into Saint Martin. We wandered around a bit in the evening, then the next morning I went back to clear out so we could be ready for a night sail to the USVI the next evening. Crossed back under the Causeway Bridge and temporarily anchored on the Dutch side in prep for our next leg.

We spent the morning at Maho Bay watching the planes come and go, then off to the supermarket for supplies and boat parts. After a whirlwind tour of Saint Martin we were staged for our next leg on to the USVI.

Plane Spotting at Maho Bay

Catching our bus from the Dinghy Dock to Maho Bay

Such fun!!!